Vibration insulating joint



Patented Apr. 14, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE VIBRATION INSULATINGJOINT Thomas Lord, Erie, Pa., assigner to Hugh C.

Lord, Erie, Pa. l

The present invention is designed to provide a joint for vibrationinsulation that can be produced very cheaply, but is also in manyenvironments particularly eilcient. 'I'he insulation of most vibratinginstruments can be more definitely achieved if there is complete freedomin all directions and in the preferred form of the present inventionthis is simply and eiiiciently attained. The invention also involvesstructural advantages which may be utilized in a more restricted field.In carrying out the invention it is possible to entirely fabricate it ofrubber, or similar material, this very materially cheapenng the productand in some respects rendering it more l5 emcient. Preferably theinsulation in all 'directions is accomplished by a distortion of rubberin shear, but some advantages of the invention may be obtained byaccommodating the movement only in certain directions in shear. Featuresand details of the invention will appear from the specification andclaims.

Preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings as follows:-

Fig. 1 is a. plan view of a mounting, or vibration supporting joint. Y

Fig. 2 a sectional view of this mounting with a limiting cap thereon.

Fig. 3 is a section of a modification under load and thrust.

Fig. 4 a sectional view of a modiication of the structure.

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 show further modifications.

Fig. 8 is a plan view of a modification in which two joint units are'arranged in tandem.

Fig. 9 is a sectional view of the same.

Figs. 10, 1l, 12 and 13 show sectional views of further modifications ofthe double unit type.

In the structure shown in Figs. 1 and 2, l marks a rubber element whichordinarily sustains the vertical, or gravity thrust of the joint. Itprojects from a surrounding wall 2 of rubber, preferably harder than therubber element I. Projecting from the rubber element I is a member 3.Preferably this member is formed of rubber of the same quality as therubber in the element I. A load-carrying cap 4 is mounted over themember 3 and has downwardly extending walls providing an initial space 5between the walls'of the cap and the member 3. The cap has a ange 6 atthe bottom which is positioned slightly above the element I and projectsover the wall 2. The walls 2 maintain the element I preferably above thepoint of support, as for instance, a plate Za. Thus there is a cup, or

cavity A formed under the element and within the wall. This may be, ifdesired, air-tight.

In the functioning of the mounting the gravity load and vibrationthrusts in a vertical direction are sustained through the shear of therubber 5 projecting as it does from the wall 2 into free space. Thehorizontal movements are sustained by a shear movement of the member 3,as indicated in Fig. 3. There may also be some yielding of the element Iin this sidewise movement of l0 the member 3, but such a yielding wouldbe essentially in shear and there may be some bending other than directshear in the member 3. In any event, the member 3 is free to respond inshear to any sidewse thrust. 'Ihus the mount- 13 ing is very sensitiveto vibrations in every direction. The relation of the resistance tomovement may be varied at will. The element I may be made thinner, orthicker, to give greater, or less relative resistance. The member 3 maybe cylin- 2@ drically shaped as indicated in dash lines 3a which willmake it more sensitive to side thrusts.

It may be made shorter, or higher, within reasonable If made shorter,the amount of rubber involved to take up the shear action, of 25 course,will be decreased and the resistance increased. The cap t can have anyclearance 5 desired between the skirt of the cap and the member 3 andsnubs the action at the limit of this clearance. Likewise the flange tmay be 30 made as far above the element and wall 2 to form any clearance1 desired so as to snub, or stop, the action with any pre-determinedmovement.

In Fig. 3 the entire mounting is formed of 35 rubber of substantiallythe same density and hardness throughout. The element ib would be alittle harder than might be ordinarily used, the wall 2b correspondinglya little softer than where dierences in rubber are used and the 40member 3b would be a. little stiier than that shown in Fig. 2, but formany purposes the advantages of a single quality of rubber would permitof a compromise that would give very elcient eiects. As shown themounting is under 4" load and thrust. The side movement has reached thelimit with the skirt of the cap in engagement with the side of themember, but the load has not quite eliminated the clearance 1.

In Fig. 4 the element Ic is made of rubber softer than the' wall 2cwhich may be of hard rubber, if desired, and the member 3c is preferablyof slightly harder rubber than the element Ic, but still resilientrubber. The upper end of the member 3 is provided with a. projection a55 having an under-cut groove beneath it and this is forced through aperforation 9 in an attaching plate I0. Thus the shape of the rubbermember itself is utilized for forming the attachment.

In the modification shown in Fig. 5 awall II has an element I2projecting from it and a member I3 extending upwardly from the elementI2. In this structure the wall II and the element I2 are substantiallythe same rubber, the wall II being of suillcient mass to substantiallysustain its form under normal load. The member I3 is preferably formedof harder rubber than the element I2 and may, if desired, be formed ofwhat is known as hard rubber, the harder rubber extending to theelement, or through the element. An attaching hard rubber plug' I3a isalso secured in the top of the member I3, preferably duringvulcanization. l

In Fig. 6 a mounting corresponding to the mounting shown in the patentto Whitehouse, Reissue No. 19,017 has an outer wall in the form of atube I4 to which a rubber element Ila is preferably secured by bondingduring vulcanization. A member I5 which is added by this inventionextends upwardly from the element Ila and as shown in Fig. 6 has aload-carrying cap I5a similar to the cap in Fig. 2 and is illustratedwith the load and side thrust carried to the limit of clearance.

In Fig. 7 the outer supporting wall is in the form of a flat sheet plateI6 having an annular opening I'I therein and a rubber element I8 havinga wall portion overlapping the upper and lower surface of the plate I6and bonded thereto, preferably by vulcanization in the mannerindicated'in the application of Hugh C. Lord and myself, Serial Number546,214. Here a member I9 projects from the element I8 and is providedwith an attaching plate I9a. on its top which is preferably bondedduring vulcanization to the upper end of the member and provided with ascrew-threaded opening I9b for ready attachment to a load. 'Ihe memberI9 may be made of soft rubber, as inFig. l, or of hard rubber, as inFig. 5.

All of these modifications may be provided with the cap as shown inFigs. 1, 2, 3 and 6, with the plug as shown in Fig. 5, with theunder-cut head as shown in Fig. 4 except where the central member is ofhard rubber as it may be and the attaching plate I9a may be attached toany modification instead of the cap, plug, or plate I0. In fact one ofthe important features of the invention is its adaptability to themodifications as to its outer wall, as to its element, as to its member,and as to its load-carryingattachment. Thus the outer wall may be harderand of less mass, softer and of greater mass, and may in some cases havea metal support and as to all modifications the upwardly projectingmember from the rubber element may be made smaller, or longer, to makeit more sensitive to side thrust, or larger, or smaller, to make it moreresistant to side thrust.

In Fig. 8 each unit is supplied with a wall 20, a rubber element 2|, anda connecting rubber element 22. In this structure the outer walls, therubber element and the connecting member 22 are of the same quality ofrubber. It diiers in its eiectiveness with relation to the structureshown in Fig. 1 in that the two elements 2I add to the softness of theunit. The member 22 not only rocks in response to side thrust, butresponds to this thrust in shear.

The structure shown in Fig. 10 differs from that of Fig. 9 in that thewall 23 in each unit is of harder rubber than that used in the element24 and connecting member 2E. The wall 23 may be of what is usuallytermed definitely hard I rubber.

In the structure shown in Fig. 11 there is a wall 26 I similar to thewall 20 andan element 21 similar tothe element 2|. A connecting member28 is of hard rubber. This permits the making of a -wobble jointentirely of rubber having a functional response similar to the jointindicated in the application of Hugh C. Lord, Serial Number 554,283,filed July 31, 1931.

In Fig. 12 outer walls 29 of the units are of metal and rubber elements30 are bonded to these metal tubes and are connected by a connectingmember 3l similar to the connecting member 22.

In the structure shown in Fig. 13 the outer member of each unit is inthe form of a plate 32 similar to the plate shown in Fig. 7. The ele-'ments 33 are similar to the elements I8 and the connecting member 3l issimilar to the connecting member 22.

What I claim as new ist- 1. In a vibration insulating joint, thecombination of a wall; a resilient element projecting laterally from thewall into free space; and a lateraly resilient member projectingdirectly from the element and off-set from the wall, said member beingresponsive through its resilience to side thrust upon it.

2. In a vibration insulating joint, the combination of a wall; a rubberelement projecting laterally from the wall into free space and resistingthrusts crosswise of the projection in shear; and a laterally resilientmember extending directly from and in a direction crosswise of theelement, said member being olf-set from the wall.

3. In a vibration 'insulating joint, the combination of a wall; a rubberelement projecting laterally from the wall into free space and resistingthrusts crosswise of the projection; and a laterally resilient rubbermember extending directly from and in a direction crosswise of theelement, said member being off-set from the wall.

4. In a vibration insulating joint, the combination of a wall; a rubberelement projecting laterally from the wall into free space and resistingthrusts crosswise of the projection; a laterally resilient rubber memberextending directly from and in a direction crosswise of the element,said member being off-set from the wall; and means permanently attachedto the member adapted to receive a load.

5. In a vibration insulating joint, the combination of a wall; a rubberelement projecting laterally from the wall into free space and resistingthrusts crosswise of the projection; a laterally resilient rubber memberextending directly from and in a direction crosswise of the element,said member being off -set from the wall and said member having anundercut portion; and an attaching plate secured to the member undersaid I under-cut portion. 65

6. In a vibration insulating joint, the combinal tion of a wall; arubber element projecting laterally from the wall into free space andresisting thrusts crosswise of the projection; a laterally resilientrubber member extending directly from and in a direction crosswise ofthe element, said member being off-set. from the wall; and meanslimiting the lateral movement of the member relatively to the wall.

'1. ma vibration msumting joint, the combina- 75 tion of a wall;a'rubber element projecting later ally from the wall into free space andresisting thrusts crosswise of the projection; a laterally resilientrubber member extending vdirectlyn'mri. 1

and in a direction crosswise of the element, said member being oi-setfrom the wall; and means limiting the crosswise movement of the memberrelatively to the element.

8. In a vibration insulating joint, the combination of a wall; a rubberelement projecting laterally from the wall into free space and resistingthrusts crosswise of the projection; a laterally resilient rubber memberextending directly from and in a direction crosswise of the element,said member being oi-set from the wall; and means limiting .the lateralmovement of the member relatively to the wall and the crosswise movementof the member relatively to the element.

9. In a vibration insulating joint, the combination of a support havingopposing wall surfaces; a. resilient element comprising means projectingfrom said opposing wall surfaces into free space and resisting thruststo the projection in shear; and a laterally resilient rubber memberextending directly from and in a direction crosswise of the element,said member being oE-set from said Walls.

10. In a vibration insulating joint, the combination of an annular wall;a rubber element having rubber portions extending radially from the Wallinto free space and resisting axial thrusts in shear; and a laterallyresilient rubber member extending directly and axially from the element,

said member being off-set from the Wall.

11. In a vibration insulating joint, the combination of an annular wall;a rubber element having rubber portions extending radially from the wallinto free space and resisting axial thrusts in shear; a laterallyresilient rubber member extending directly and axially Yfrom theelement, said member being off-set from the wall; and a cap arranged onthe rubber member having a skirt with' free space between it and themember.

12. In a vibration insulating joint, the combination of an annular wall;a rubber element having rubber portions extending radially from thelwall into free space and resisting axial'thrusts in shear; a laterallyresilient rubber member extending directly and axially from the element,said member being oil-set from the wall; and a cap arranged on therubber member having a anged skirt leaving a free space between theskirt and the member and the element and the ange.

'13. In a vibration insulating joint, the combination of a rubber wall;a rubber element projecting laterally from the wall into free space andresisting thrusts crosswise of the projection in shear; and a laterallyresilient rubber mem-l ber extending directly from and in a directioncrosswise of the element, said member being 0E- set from the wall.

14:. In. a vibration insulating joint, the combination of two jointunits, each having a wall and each unit having a resilient rubberelement projecting from the wall of said' unit into free space andresisting thrusts crosswise of the projection in shear; and a laterallyresilient member extending directly from and in a crosswise directionjoining said elements, said member being o-set from the Walls.

l5. In a vibration insulating joint, the combination of two joint units,each having a surrounding Wall and each unit having a resilient rubberelement projecting from the wail of said unit into free space andresisting axial thrusts in shear; and a laterally resilient rubbermember extending directly from and in an axial direction joining saidelements, said member being oE-set from the walls.

16. In a vibration insulating joint, the com bination of two `jointunits, each having a surrounding rubber wall and each unit having aresilient rubber element projecting from the wall of said unit into freespace and resisting thrusts crosswise of the projection, in shear; and alaterally resilient rubber member extending directly from and. in acrosswise direction joining said elements, said member being olf-setfrom the walls.

THOMAS LORD.

